This report examines how users buy and use cellphones and wireless services today, how businesses and employees reconcile each other for business or personal usage, and the features that business users value today that make them more productive.
It is widely believed within the wireless industry that business users are the most profitable users of wireless devices and services. What is less certain is what business users want today. This is a complicated issue, primarily because many end-user organizations allow their employees to mix personal and business use with their cellphones and service.
The report then looks at the features that the users need for business productivity and want for the personal use of the phone. The personal application of business phones is relevant because 97% of users report at least some personal use, and over 80% of respondents choose the phone they use for business.
The report also looks at the trends in employee reimbursement for business wireless use. The past trend for more business liability has been towards greater corporate liability for business use. This year shows a large increase in firms not reimbursing their employees for business calls. This practice helps the budget, but costs firms in lost productivity and competitiveness. This report shows that there is a difference in business call usage measured in hours each month between employees based upon how their employer pays for business calls (or not).
